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ASUU Declares Two-Week Nationwide Warning Strike To Begin Monday As Ultimatum To Tinubu Govt Expires

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced a two-week nationwide warning strike, instructing all its branches across the country to withdraw their services starting from midnight on Monday, October 13, 2025, SaharaReporters has learned.

A copy of a circular issued by the ASUU National Executive Council (NEC), and signed by its president, Prof. Chris Riwuna, obtained by SaharaReporters, confirmed the directive.

The statement read: “Compatriots of the Press, it goes without saying that there is nothing sufficient on ground to stop the implementation of ASUU-NEC’s resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike at the expiry of the 14 days’ notice given on 28th September, 2025.

“Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight (12.01a.m.) on Monday, 13th October, 2025. The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting.”

The latest action follows the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued by the union to the Nigerian Government.

The union demanded the implementation of agreements reached during previous negotiations, including issues surrounding earned academic allowances, revitalization funds for public universities, withheld salaries, and the government’s failure to review lecturers’ welfare packages.

In a circular titled “Strike Bulletin No. 1” issued on October 5, 2025, and signed by the union’s President, Piwuna, ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) said it reached the decision after evaluating the results of a referendum conducted across its branches.

The union said the ultimatum followed a referendum across its branches and resolutions reached at an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on September 29, 2025.

ASUU accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of failing to implement key agreements, including the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, revitalization of public universities, payment of earned academic allowances, and other welfare-related demands.

The union lamented that despite notifying the Ministers of Labour and Education, as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), there had been no meaningful response from the government.

ASUU described the negotiation process as “tortuous” and unnecessarily prolonged for over eight years, warning that its planned action is meant to compel the government to sign and implement the renegotiated agreement and tackle the ongoing brain drain (“Japa syndrome”) that continues to strip universities of qualified lecturers.

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Young Nigerians Are Losing Hope In The Future Of The Country – Atiku Expresses Concern

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has voiced concern that many young Nigerians are beginning to lose faith in the country.

Atiku said he feels deeply sad over how young Nigerians are lamenting over hardship, fraudulent elections and bad governance.

Posting on his Facebook page, the former Vice President told the youths that the change they desire cannot be attained by voter apathy, noting that 25 percent to 30 percent voter turnout in every election cycle is not encouraging.

He wrote: “I am extremely concerned at how young Nigerians are losing hope about the future of our country.

“Every time they come to have a conversation with me about bad governance, fraudulent elections, and resultant hardship being faced by citizens, I deeply feel sad about the situation.

“Yesterday evening, I received yet another group of youths from across the 19 Northern states, led by Alh. Adamu Bappa Gombe.

“They were worried about how their votes don’t count and how bad governance and policies impact negatively on their standard of living and private businesses.

“I have continued to encourage them not to give up. I told them the change they desire can only come through the ballot. I reminded them that they have a responsibility to mobilize their fellow young people to keep participating in the process of leadership recruitment through elections.

“I reminded them that the change they desire cannot be attained by voter apathy and that 25% to 30% voter turnout in every election cycle is not encouraging. I challenged them to make a huge difference by influencing massive participation in 2027.

“On our part, we shall not relent until Nigeria is recovered from anti democratic forces.”

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2027: Why Goodluck Jonathan Is Not A Threat To Tinubu – Presidential Aide

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Senior Special Assistant on Print Media to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has dismissed speculations about former President Goodluck Jonathan’s potential political comeback, stating that there is nothing to worry about if he chooses to run again.

Speaking in an interview in Kano, AbdulAziz said Jonathan’s previous defeat as a sitting president shows he poses no political threat.

“Somebody who was defeated while he was a sitting President, there is nothing he can do now. Maybe he can come and try his luck. It is the beauty of democracy. Anybody can decide to contest.” 

AbdulAziz, however, insisted that Jonathan’s possible return does not bother anyone, including President Bola Tinubu.

“But Jonathan is not a threat at all. No one is scared of him. Certainly, not the President,” he said.

“As I said, someone who could not win his election while he was president, why will he be a threat now that he is far away from the stool, aside other constraints?”

He also cautioned Jonathan against allowing himself to be misled by people. urging him to re-enter the race.

“I am sure that some people will want to mislead him,” AbdulAziz warned.

“Personally I will say that he should not listen to people who want to destroy him or who want to demystify him by urging him on to a contest that is a no contest in the reality—because I don’t see where Jonathan will make an in-road or get any substantial vote in that election.” 

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2027: Forcing Peter Obi To Withdraw Will Take Away The Hope Of Nigerians – Labour Party

The Labour Party (LP) has addressed ongoing discussions about potential alliances with opposition parties and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The LP’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, in an interview with Punch, dismissed speculation that Peter Obi could step down for any political coalition or rival aspirant.

According to Akeni, forcing Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 race will amount to betraying the hopes of millions of Nigerians seeking change.

He maintained that neither Peter Obi nor the Obidient Movement would surrender their presidential bid, stressing that “our motto is forward never, backward never.”

He added, “Forcing Peter Obi to withdraw from the race is to take away 90 per cent of the hope of Nigerians for redemption and a new beginning.

“So, I see a situation where we will all come together, stakeholders, and take the right decision at the right time. And that right time is still a little bit far away. It’s going to be close to the primaries.

“There is no substitute for the ideology of the Labour Party. And so, we are going head on for the presidency if the right decision is not taken by the coalition.”

Akeni also appealed to Atiku to prove his love for the country by doing the right thing and giving Peter Obi a chance in 2027.

He said, “Let Atiku think of what is best for his epitaph. Would he like to be remembered as the man who sacrificed Nigeria for his ambition, yet he didn’t get it, or the man who sacrificed his ambition for Nigeria and took it from the cliff to the pathway of modern progress and advancement?”

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Fuel Scarcity Worsens Despite PENGASSAN Strike Suspension

Fuel scarcity has continued to paralyse economic and social activities in Sokoto metropolis despite the suspension of the three-day strike embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.

The PUNCH, which monitored the situation across the city on Friday and Saturday, observed that most filling stations remained under lock and key, while the few dispensing fuel sold at inflated prices ranging between ₦960 and ₦970 per litre.

Even the NNPC retail outlets, numbering about seven within the metropolis, were not selling fuel, further compounding the hardship of motorists and residents.

At the black market, fuel now sells for as high as ₦1,250 per litre, or ₦6,000 for a four-litre gallon, as desperate motorists resort to roadside vendors to keep their vehicles running.

One of the motorists, Mallam Abba Umar, condemned the attitude of petrol marketers in the state, accusing them of deliberately hoarding the product to exploit residents.

“Most petrol marketers in Sokoto are very devilish and wicked. They have fuel but refuse to sell it during the day. They only open at night to sell between ₦960 and ₦970 per litre.

“This is unfair. The state government should intervene to save us from this hardship,” Umar lamented.

Another motorist, Mrs. Rukayyat Bello, who had been on queue since morning at a filling station along Gusau Road, decried the situation, saying it has made daily life unbearable.

“Transport fares have doubled, and everything in the market is going up because of this scarcity. It’s becoming too difficult for ordinary people to survive,” she said.

Recall that the current scarcity began shortly after the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers threatened to embark on an industrial action over unresolved issues with the Federal Government.

Although the strike was later averted, PENGASSAN eventually proceeded on a three-day strike, which disrupted fuel distribution nationwide.

Despite the suspension of the strike, normal supply is yet to resume in many parts of Sokoto.

Investigations revealed that several marketers now prefer to sell fuel secretly to black market operators, who resell at exorbitant rates, thereby making higher profits at the expense of the public.

The PUNCH reports that major roads in Sokoto remain deserted as many motorists have parked their vehicles due to a lack of fuel, while residents continue to call on the state government and relevant federal agencies to take urgent action to restore normal supply.

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Those Remaining In PDP Are Undertakers Waiting To Bury Dying Party – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has mocked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing its remaining members as “undertakers preparing to bury a dying party.”

Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos, Mr Seye Oladejo, made the remark in a statement issued on Saturday in reaction to a fresh wave of defections from the PDP to the ruling party.

Oladejo urged the PDP to stop dismissing what he described as “a mass exodus” from its ranks, warning that the opposition party was only deceiving itself by downplaying the scale of its internal collapse.

“The PDP’s claim that defections cannot weaken it is laughable and exposes the party’s chronic state of denial, delusion, and self-deception,” Oladejo said.

“What we are witnessing is not ordinary political migration but the inevitable outcome of years of deceit, lack of ideology, and betrayal among its own leaders. When a house is built on quicksand, it only takes a tremor to bring it down.”

The APC spokesman described the ongoing defections as proof that even loyal PDP members had lost faith in a party that had “refused to reform or present a credible alternative to Nigerians”.

“Those still clinging to the PDP are merely undertakers, staying behind to perform the final rites and dispose of what remains of a once-dominant but now lifeless political entity,”he added.

Oladejo said the APC was not surprised by the defections, noting that the opposition party had relied for years on propaganda and empty promises.

He accused the PDP of mismanaging the country during its 16-year rule, saying it could not suddenly reinvent itself as a credible opposition “when it remains mired in confusion and leadership crises.”

“The recent defection of key PDP figures to the APC reflects growing confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” Oladejo stated.

“It’s time for the PDP to learn to walk alone on its long, dark road to 2027. The party’s glory days are gone, and the sooner it accepts that reality, the less humiliating its final exit will be.”

He advised the opposition to conduct an honest post-mortem of its failures and accept that its influence in Nigeria’s political landscape had drastically faded.

“The defections are not just political victories for the APC; they are clear endorsements of our commitment to progress, stability, and people-centred leadership.

Nigerians are speaking loudly, the era of deceitful opposition politics is over,” Oladejo added.

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I Had The Worst Kind Of Friends Who Pushed Me To Release Album – Nigerian Actress, Tonto Dikeh

Nollywood actress and politician, Tonto Dikeh, has revealed that the negative influence of her closest friends was the main reason her music career failed.

Tonto made this known on Friday while singing ‘God is Good’ by Don Moen on her Instagram page.

The 40-year-old film star reflected on her brief journey in the music industry, which began in 2013 with the release of songs like ‘Hi’, ‘Crazically Fit’, and ‘Jeje’, including collaborations with popular artistes such as Solid Star and Terry G.

Tonto stated that her failure in music serves as a reminder of a time when negative influences surrounded her, urging her fans to choose their friends wisely.

She lamented that her singing ability did not match the ambition her friends instilled in her, humorously claiming that with the right talent, she would have surpassed the fame of stars like Tiwa Savage, Cece Winans, or Whitney Houston.

She said, “If I could sing ehn, una for don Dey sick of me….

“Like you don’t even understand, Likkeeeeeeeeeeee who is Tiwa? Who is Whitney, who is cece winas? Taaaaahhhhhhh.

“Watching this video reminds me of the time I had the worst kind of friends who pushed me to release album.

“Look sneeze/sniper and co your bedroom is been reserved in hell. Moral of this lesson choose your friends wisely more importantly be wise.”

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Democracy Is Now Gradually Becoming Dictatorship – Shehu Sani Blows Hot

Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna Central lawmaker, has lamented that advanced democracy is gradually becoming dictatorship.

In a post on his verified X handle on Saturday, the human rights activist said people are being threatened and sacked from their jobs for exercising their freedom of speech on the social media.

The ex-senator, who accused the system of intimidating and silencing members of the legislature, decried that freedom was in reverse gear, adding that the world may be tired of democracy.

“Everything happening in dictatorships is now gradually happening in the most advanced democracy; punishing universities for permitting protests, disobeying and disrespecting judges as well as witch-hunting political opponents and arraigning them in court on concocted charges.

“Thinking of constitutional amendments for presidential tenure extension, deploying troops without following due process and harassment of the media,” he wrote.

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WhatsApp to Replace Numbers With Usernames

WhatsApp has announced it is planning to replace phone numbers with usernames.
According to reports, WhatsApp is already testing a groundbreaking feature that could allow users to connect without revealing their phone numbers
The Meta-owned platform is working on a username system — similar to what exists on Instagram, Telegram, and X — in what could become one of the app’s biggest privacy upgrades yet.
The feature, currently in beta testing, will let users create unique usernames to chat and join groups without exposing their numbers. This move aims to enhance privacy, particularly in large community groups and business interactions where sharing personal contacts can feel intrusive.
Leaked screenshots reveal a new “Username” option within user profiles, giving people the ability to pick custom handles and decide whether to hide their phone numbers.
However, experts warn that the update could lead to challenges like username hijacking and impersonation. To tackle this, WhatsApp reportedly plans to roll out verification and security measures alongside the new system.
Though still in development, the username feature could redefine how over two billion users communicate on WhatsApp — shifting the focus from numbers to names.
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I’m A Golden Minister – Wike Boasts

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, referred to himself as a “golden minister.”

Wike said he was a governor when Rivers clocked 50 years and now he is a minister when the FCT will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year February.

The Minister disclosed this during the flagging off ceremony of the construction of Collector Road CN2 (Emmanuel I. Ogala Street) from Arterial N16 (Yemi Osinbajo way) to N20 (Wole Soyinka way) including road ILS 5 within Katampe District.

He noted that such a feat is an indication that God loves him, adding that nobody should be envious.

Wike said: “So please do all you can when Abuja would attain the golden age of 50 years, it’s done.

“Some of us have been very lucky. We are golden governors and now golden ministers, it’s not everybody that will be that lucky.

“Some of you were governors when your state was not up to 50 years, some were council chairmen when it did get up to that age but we became a governor when our state attained that golden jubilee and now we are minister when FCT will attain that golden jubilee. So you ask yourself, are we not so loved by God?

“Well you may sit on my seat but that does not mean you are loved specially like you are loved by God.”

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